Runnah Girl goes H.A.M. Week 1

So if for some reason you are unfamiliar with the musical stylings of Kanye West, he has this wicked catchy song (featuring Jay-z) called H.A.M. It is on many of my running mixes and it stands for Hard as A Motha-Fucka. It is something that KC and I (and his BFFL, Dev) use on the regular. I suggest you learn this term and start using it in your day to day vernacular.

For me H.A.M is as Kanye intended it but also a little play on words for Hard as A Marathon-er… cause that’s what I am training for. As I write this I realize I prob should’ve picked something that needs no explanation, but that is so not me.

Monday- Cross-training. As I previously mentioned I am making some adaptations to Hal’s sched. I have Mondays off, so typically Monday will be Crosstraining day and Sunday my rest day. Today I did some weight lifting as well as a yoga class. My strength training routine is basic and this will be what I do all throughout training as I have read a lot about not trying new things.

3 sets of 12 reps of the following:

Dead-lifts (40 lbs)

Rows (40 lbs)

Bicep curls (12 lbs each hand)

Squats (25 lbs)

Tricep Extensions ( 20 lbs)

Bench press (30 lbs)

Leg press (120 lbs)

Hip Abduction (60 lbs)

Hip Adduction (80 lbs)

Chest Press (30 lbs)

Rowing (40 lbs)

Lateral Pull down (40 lbs)

After completing this regimen I did 75 minutes of yoga. It is a mix of vinyasa and power yoga. I really like the class! It is equal parts challenging and relaxing. I have incorporated some poses into my stretching routine.

Since I am off on Mondays I also did all my meal prep. Felt really productive at the end of the day, as well as tired and was in bed before 10 PM. It only was slightly due to the fact KC was watching wrestling…

Tuesday- 3 Miler. It was friggin cold this morning. In the teens cold when I set out for my 3 miler. I tested out one of my new sports bras (review to come!). I wore many layers as well as a headlamp so I looked like the marshmallow man from Ghostbusters but with glow in the dark accessories. It was so chilly that my Iphone stopped working about halfway through. This means 1. I have no idea how my time was besides my first mile which was 10 min. 2. I had no music so I was extremely aware of how heavy my breathing is = sexy. I think it is prob a good thing for me to do some training sans music as I am still trying to figure out how to have 5 hours of battery on my phone whilst listening to spotify and using mapmyrun. The lack of music had me pay more attention to my form and my breathing, which truthfully is probably a good thing. I guess we are not supposed to run like Mark Zuckerberg, his foot strike is all awful and the internet hates him for it. So I made sure that I was not running like that asshole. After my run I made a shake with vegan chocolate shakeology, half a banana, 1 c of almond milk and some cinnamon. I stretched as I drank that and felt really accomplished for getting in my run before 7AM on a Tuesday that was bitter ass cold. I even managed to get to work on time!

Wednesday- 3 Miler. It was snowy, windy and slippery; but beautiful! 3 slow, slow miles did happen. Not my best run at all but I am stoked that I made it out on a blustery morning. Full re-cap here. Before dinner I did some arm exercises with my 5 lb weights (maybe I should upgrade?). After dinner I did some stretching and foam rolling before getting to bed early with the help of melatonin.

Thursday- 3 Miler. It was 14 degrees when I begrudgingly got out of bed this morning. I did not want to run, but I really wanted to listen to Mindy Kaling’s book some more, so I suited up in a t-shirt, light weight sweatshirt and and medium weight jacket. I wore gloves and a hat too and my heaviest of running pants. By the time I had coffee and water it had heated up to 19 degrees. I ran 3 miles in 31 minutes while listening to Mindy, I was pleased. I cool downed with a dog walk and some stretching. I had a delightful wrap for breakfast with turkey bacon, veggies and guac. I had my first ever chiropractic appt today and apparently I am all kinds of fucked up, but I will post more on that next week. After work I headed to the gym where I did some lower body strength training before heading to a mix of power yoga and vinyasa at 6:30 PM. Apparently there are different types of yoga… Leaving the gym at almost 8 PM I was hangry. We were having left over tacos for dinner and I called KC on the way home to prep them or I thought I might die.

Friday- Rest. Besides a walk with my work-wife and some evening stretching and foam rolling I rested! And it was GLORIOUS! Sometimes I struggle with rest days but not today. I relished every second of Sadie snuggles.

Saturday- Cross-training. Today was supposed to be a 6 mile run but mother nature had other plans. I have been trying not to let the weather dictate whether I run or not, but after walking Sadie on slippery roads whilst getting pelted with ice-rain I opted to head to the gym. I did Monday’s gym workout with an added 25 minute interval training session on the treadmill. I ran for 2 minutes, walked for 2 minutes. My running pace got as fast a 9 min mile pace! I stretched lots after a dicey drive home in this lovely New England weather!

Sunday- 6 Miler. I left right at 9 for my 6 miler. We had plans at 1:30 so I was on a strict schedule. My run started off on a great pace. Mile 2 I had to slow down for icy areas on secondary roads. There were definitely places where I could have safely sped up , but I was having a hard time getting my momentum going. Around mile 4 I took a brief walk break to have some water. I decided I hated running and I did not want to run a marathon anymore. “Fuck this shit” was the exact thought. I started running again and started to feel better and map my run told me I was done with mile 5 which meant I only needed one more. I picked up the pace a bit and realized my legs were actually feeling quite good and began some positive self talk. I was so happy to finish and really enjoyed my stretch session after.

Week 1 in my marathon journey is done! I am actually really proud of myself. My times weren’t amazing, but I got up in all kinds of weather and worked out. I have been wicked good at stretching daily and my eating has not been terrible! Let’s go week 2!

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Hi! I'm Meg. I love running, my dog Sadie, and my boyfriend KC. I love to talk about food, fitness, and my family. Sign up below to get free fit-spiration from me and don't forget to click here to get my full story.

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